Winners and losers from the Bengals' Week 1 victory over the Colts

1-0! The Bengals took down the Colts in stunning fashion on Sunday, starting off the regular season strong after an encouraging preseason. Let’s take a look at a few winners and losers from Week 1, starting with the defensive back who took over the game in the final minute…

Winner: Clayton Fejedelem, S

Before safety George Iloka was released last month, I thought the Bengals might have been planning to play more three-safety sets in order to cover up their weaknesses at linebacker. With rookie Jessie Bates handling center field, either Iloka or Shawn Williams could have conceivably played a hybrid role, hovering closer to the line of scrimmage to help a Vontaze Burfict-less linebacking unit.

Fejedelem’s touchdown provided the largest swing in win probability added in the NFL to that point, as it improved the Bengals’ chances of winning by a whopping 42%. The hard-hitting defender also scooped up another fumble earlier on Sunday afternoon, but his lengthy return was negated by a questionable penalty on defensive end Carlos Dunlap.

It’s only one game, but Fejedelem’s performance gives the Bengals options, both in the near- and long-term. He posted the highest grade of any Cincinnati defender against the Colts, per Pro Football Focus, which also ranked Fejedelem as the NFL’s second-best safety on a league-wide basis in Week 1.

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